Many children and teenagers carry backpacks during the school year for schoolbooks and other supplies. “When used correctly, backpacks are the most efficient way to carry a load and distribute the weight among some of the body’s strongest muscles,” says Eric Wall, Director, Orthopedic Surgery Division.
In May 2002, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported [...]

JAMA/Archives - Children and teens who get less sleep, especially those who spend less time in rapid eye movement (REM ) sleep , may be more likely to be overweight , according to a report in the August 2008 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry .
The obesity rate has more than tripled among children aged [...]

Positive findings of a safety study involving children and a highly touted botanical ginseng extract (COLD-fX ) show promise for its future development for kids as a Canadian cold and flu remedy. The results appear in the August 2008 issue of Pediatrics – the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The randomized, double-blind, placebo [...]

UMich.edu - Food does more than satisfy hunger; it provides fuel for the body and mind, too. So as you make a list of school supplies to buy for the upcoming school year, don’t forget to consider the items at your local supermarket that can also help prepare your child for the classroom.
Catherine Kraus, RD, [...]

Research suggests that most childhood obesity begins in infancy .
CHKD.org - Over the last decade, childhood obesity has grown into an epidemic, reflected in soaring rates of type 2 diabetes and recommendations that pediatricians check toddlers for elevated cholesterol.
A study presented at a pediatric research program on Friday suggested obesity prevention efforts should begin as [...]

NCSU.edu - Two hormone-like compounds linked to the consumption of soy-based foods can cause irreversible changes in the structure of the brain, resulting in early-onset puberty and symptoms of advanced menopause in research animals, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University. The study is a breakthrough in determining how these [...]